1
|
Schunck F, Liess M. Ultra-low esfenvalerate exposure may disrupt interspecific competition. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 906:167455. [PMID: 37804718 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Revised: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/09/2023]
Abstract
Field and mesocosm studies repeatedly show that higher tier processes reduce the predictive accuracy of toxicity evaluation and thus their value for pesticide risk assessment. Therefore, understanding the influence of ecological complexity on toxicant effects is crucial to improve realism of aquatic risk assessment. Here we investigate the influence of repeated exposure to ecologically realistic concentrations of esfenvalerate on the two similarly sensitive species Daphnia magna and Culex pipiens in a food limited and highly competitive environment. We show that significant perturbations in population development are only present at 100 ng/L (close to the EC50). In contrast, interspecific competition between species is already reduced at 0.1 ng/L (≤ 3 orders of magnitude below the acute lethal EC50). We conclude that extremely low, environmentally relevant concentrations can disrupt species interactions. This toxicant mediated alteration of competitive balances in ecological communities may be the underlying mechanism for shifts in species distribution at ultra-low pesticide concentrations. A realistic risk assessment should therefore consider these processes in order to predict potential pesticide effects on the structure of communities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Florian Schunck
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Dept. of System-Ecotoxicology, Permoserstraße 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany; Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH), Institute of Ecology & Computational Life Science, Templergraben 55, 52056 Aachen, Germany.
| | - Matthias Liess
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Dept. of System-Ecotoxicology, Permoserstraße 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany; Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH), Institute of Ecology & Computational Life Science, Templergraben 55, 52056 Aachen, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Riedl V, Agatz A, Benstead R, Ashauer R. A standardized tritrophic small-scale system (TriCosm) for the assessment of stressor-induced effects on aquatic community dynamics. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY 2018; 37:1051-1060. [PMID: 29115695 DOI: 10.1002/etc.4032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2017] [Revised: 10/23/2017] [Accepted: 11/03/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Chemical impacts on the environment are routinely assessed in single-species tests. They are employed to measure direct effects on nontarget organisms, but indirect effects on ecological interactions can only be detected in multispecies tests. Micro- and mesocosms are more complex and environmentally realistic, yet they are less frequently used for environmental risk assessment because resource demand is high, whereas repeatability and statistical power are often low. Test systems fulfilling regulatory needs (i.e., standardization, repeatability, and replication) and the assessment of impacts on species interactions and indirect effects are lacking. In the present study we describe the development of the TriCosm, a repeatable aquatic multispecies test with 3 trophic levels and increased statistical power. High repeatability of community dynamics of 3 interacting aquatic populations (algae, Ceriodaphnia, and Hydra) was found with an average coefficient of variation of 19.5% and the ability to determine small effect sizes. The TriCosm combines benefits of both single-species tests (fulfillment of regulatory requirements) and complex multispecies tests (ecological relevance) and can be used, for instance, at an intermediate tier in environmental risk assessment. Furthermore, comparatively quickly generated population and community toxicity data can be useful for the development and testing of mechanistic effect models. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;37:1051-1060. © 2017 SETAC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Verena Riedl
- Environment Department, University of York, Heslington, York, United Kingdom
- Fera Science Ltd., Centre for Chemical Safety and Stewardship, Sand Hutton, York, United Kingdom
| | - Annika Agatz
- Environment Department, University of York, Heslington, York, United Kingdom
| | - Rachel Benstead
- Fera Science Ltd., Centre for Chemical Safety and Stewardship, Sand Hutton, York, United Kingdom
| | - Roman Ashauer
- Environment Department, University of York, Heslington, York, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Wang C, Su R, Zhang Y, Liu G. A method linking the toxic effects at community-level with contaminant concentrations. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2016; 569-570:352-360. [PMID: 27348700 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.06.164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2016] [Revised: 05/23/2016] [Accepted: 06/20/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
In this study, we developed a method to quantify and link the toxic effects in community-level ecosystems with concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbons. The densities of Platymonas helgolandica var. tsingtaoensis, Isochrysis galbana, and Brachionus plicatilis in single-species tests and customized ecosystems were examined in response to a concentration gradient of petroleum hydrocarbons ranging from 0 to 8.0mgL(-1). A three-population ecological model with interspecies competition-grazing relationships was used to characterize population sizes with concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbons. A threshold concentration of the simplified plankton ecosystem of 0.376mgL(-1) for petroleum hydrocarbons was calculated from the proposed model, which was higher than the no-effect concentration of 0.056mgL(-1) derived from the single-species toxicity tests and the predicted no-effect concentration of 0.076mgL(-1) calculated from the species sensitivity distribution. This finding indicates that interspecies competition and grazing reduced the toxic effect of petroleum hydrocarbons at the community level. The sensitivity analysis for model parameters demonstrates that plankton population biomasses are highly sensitive to filtration rates. Antagonism between interspecies interactions and petroleum hydrocarbon toxicity was attributed to the reduced filtration rate and zooplankton grazing pressure. The proposed method is a simple means to address the concern regarding the impacts of ecological interactions on ecological risk assessments of pollutants.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Changyou Wang
- School of Marine Sciences, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China; Jiangsu Research Center for Ocean Survey Technology, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
| | - Rongguo Su
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China
| | - Yong Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Coastal Zone Environmental Processes, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai 264003, China
| | - Gang Liu
- School of Marine Sciences, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China; Jiangsu Research Center for Ocean Survey Technology, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Abstract
The genetic recovery of resistant populations released from pesticide exposure is
accelerated by the presence of environmental stressors. By contrast, the
relevance of environmental stressors for the spread of resistance during
pesticide exposure has not been studied. Moreover, the consequences of
interactions between different stressors have not been considered. Here we show
that stress through intraspecific competition accelerates microevolution,
because it enhances fitness differences between adapted and non-adapted
individuals. By contrast, stress through interspecific competition or predation
reduces intraspecific competition and thereby delays microevolution. This was
demonstrated in mosquito populations (Culex quinquefasciatus)
that were exposed to the pesticide chlorpyrifos. Non-selective predation through
harvesting and interspecific competition with Daphnia magna
delayed the selection for individuals carrying the
ace-1R resistance allele. Under non-toxic
conditions, susceptible individuals without ace-1R
prevailed. Likewise, predation delayed the reverse adaptation of the populations
to a non-toxic environment, while the effect of interspecific competition was
not significant. Applying a simulation model, we further identified how
microevolution is generally determined by the type and degree of competition and
predation. We infer that interactions with other species—especially
strong in ecosystems with high biodiversity—can delay the development of
pesticide resistance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jeremias Martin Becker
- Department System Ecotoxicology, UFZ-Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany Department of Ecosystem Analysis, RWTH-Aachen University, Institute for Environmental Research, Worringerweg 1, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Matthias Liess
- Department System Ecotoxicology, UFZ-Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany Department of Ecosystem Analysis, RWTH-Aachen University, Institute for Environmental Research, Worringerweg 1, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Del Arco AI, Parra G, Rico A, Van den Brink PJ. Effects of intra- and interspecific competition on the sensitivity of aquatic macroinvertebrates to carbendazim. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2015; 120:27-34. [PMID: 26024811 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2015.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2014] [Revised: 04/30/2015] [Accepted: 05/04/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
The Ecological Risk Assessment of pesticides and other potentially toxic chemicals is generally based on toxicity data obtained from single-species laboratory experiments. In the field, however, contaminant effects are ubiquitously co-occurring with ecological interactions such as species competition and predation, which might influence the sensitivity of the individuals exposed to toxicants. The present experimental study investigated how intra- and interspecific competition influence the response of sensitive aquatic organisms to a pesticide. For this, the effects of the fungicide carbendazim were assessed on the mortality and growth of the snail Bithynia tentaculata and the crustacean Gammarus pulex under different levels of intraspecific and interspecific competition for a food resource. Interspecific competition was created by adding individuals of Radix peregra and Asellus aquaticus, respectively. The interaction of competition and carbendazim exposure significantly influenced B. tentaculata growth, however, combined effects on survival and immobility were considered transient and were less easily demonstrated. Positive influence of competition on G. pulex survival was observed under low-medium carbendazim concentrations and under medium-high density pressures, being partly related to cannibalistic and predation compensatory mechanisms, enhanced under food limiting conditions. This study shows that intra- and interspecific competition pressure may influence the response of sensitive aquatic organisms in a more complex way (positive, non-significant and negative effects were observed) than just increasing the sensitivity of the studied species, as has generally been hypothesized.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ana Isabel Del Arco
- Department of Plant Biology, Animal Biology and Ecology, Jaén University, B3-078 Campus de las Lagunillas s/n, 23071 Jaén, Spain.
| | - Gema Parra
- Department of Plant Biology, Animal Biology and Ecology, Jaén University, B3-078 Campus de las Lagunillas s/n, 23071 Jaén, Spain
| | - Andreu Rico
- Alterra, Wageningen University and Research centre, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Paul J Van den Brink
- Alterra, Wageningen University and Research centre, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands; Department of Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management, Wageningen University, Wageningen University and Research centre, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Ptatscheck C, Traunspurger W. Meio- and Macrofaunal Communities in Artificial Water-Filled Tree Holes: Effects of Seasonality, Physical and Chemical Parameters, and Availability of Food Resources. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0133447. [PMID: 26284811 PMCID: PMC4540321 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0133447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2015] [Accepted: 06/26/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives In this study we investigated the dynamics of meiofaunal and macrofaunal communities in artificial water-filled tree holes. The abundances and, for the first time, biomasses and secondary production rates of these communities were examined. The experimental set-up consisted of 300 brown plastic cups placed in temperate mixed forests and sampled five times over a period of 16 months to determine the impact of (i) seasonal events, (ii) physicochemical parameters, and (iii) food resources on the tree hole metazoans. Outcomes Metazoan organisms, especially the meiofauna (rotifers and nematodes) occupied nearly all of the cups (> 99%) throughout the year. Between 55% and 99% of the metazoan community was represented by rotifers (max. 557,000 individuals 100 cm-2) and nematodes (max. 58,000 individuals 100 cm-2). Diptera taxa, particularly Dasyhelea sp. (max. 256 individuals 100 cm-2) dominated the macrofaunal community. Macrofauna accounted for the majority of the metazoan biomass, with a mean dry weight of 5,800 μg 100 cm-2 and an annual production rate of 20,400 μg C 100 cm-2, whereas for meiofauna mean biomass and annual production were 100 μg 100 cm-2 and 5,300 μg C 100 cm-2, respectively. The macrofaunal taxa tended to show more fluctuating population dynamic while the meiofaunal dynamic was rather low with partly asynchronous development. Seasonality (average temperature and rain intervals) had a significant impact on both meiofauna and macrofauna. Furthermore, bottom-up control (chlorophyll-a and organic carbon), mainly attributable to algae, was a significant factor that shaped the metazoan communities. In contrast, physicochemical water parameters had no evident influence. 23.7% of organism density distribution was explained by redundancy analysis (RDA) indicating a high dynamic and asynchrony of the systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christoph Ptatscheck
- Animal Ecology, Bielefeld University, Konsequenz 45, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Walter Traunspurger
- Animal Ecology, Bielefeld University, Konsequenz 45, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Del Arco AI, Rico A, van den Brink PJ. Effects of intra- and interspecific competition on the sensitivity of Daphnia magna populations to the fungicide carbendazim. ECOTOXICOLOGY (LONDON, ENGLAND) 2015; 24:1362-1371. [PMID: 26119660 DOI: 10.1007/s10646-015-1512-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/10/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
The ecological risk assessment of pesticides is generally based on toxicity data obtained from single-species laboratory experiments and does not take into account ecological interactions such as competition or predation. Intraspecific and interspecific competition are expected to result in additional stress and might increase the sensitivity of aquatic populations to pesticide contamination. To test this hypothesis, the effects of the fungicide carbendazim were assessed on the population dynamics of the micro-crustacean Daphnia magna under different levels of intraspecific and interspecific competition for an algal food resource, using the rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus as competing species. The experiments were performed in glass jars with three different carbendazim concentrations (i.e., 50, 100 and 150 µg/L), and had a duration of 25 days, with a 4-day pre-treatment period in which competition was allowed to take place and a 21-day exposure period. The endpoints evaluated were D. magna total population abundance and population structure. Results of these experiments show that competition stress on its own had a significant influence on shaping D. magna population's structure, however, a different response was observed in the intraspecific and interspecific competition experiments. The use of a 4-day pre-treatment period in the intraspecific experiment already led to an absence of interactive effects due to the quick abundance confluence between the different intraspecific treatments, thus not allowing the observation of interactive effects between competition and carbendazim stress. Results of the interspecific competition experiment showed that rotifers were quickly outcompeted by D. magna and that D. magna even profited from the rotifer presence through exploitative competition, which alleviated the original stress caused by the algal resource limitation. These experiments suggest that competition interactions play an important role in defining population-level effects of pesticides in a more complex way than was hypothesized ("increasing competition leading to a sensitivity increase"), as the interspecific experiment showed. Therefore, these should be taken into account in the extrapolation of single-species toxicity data to protect higher levels of biological organization.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ana Isabel Del Arco
- Department of Plant Biology, Animal Biology and Ecology, Jaén University, B3 - 078 Campus de las Lagunillas s/n, 23071, Jaén, Spain,
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
Dolciotti I, Foit K, Herkelrath A, Liess M. Competition impedes the recovery of Daphnia magna from repeated insecticide pulses. AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2014; 147:26-31. [PMID: 24373889 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2013.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2013] [Revised: 11/15/2013] [Accepted: 12/03/2013] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
The effects of multiple insecticide pulses on non-target organisms have rarely been investigated in combination with relevant biotic interactions, such as competition. In this study, we examined the effects of two repeated pulses of the insecticide pirimicarb (3, 10, 24 μg/L) on populations of Daphnia magna with or without competition. To investigate the influence of competition, half of the test systems were supplemented with the pirimicarb-insensitive species Culex pipiens. The pesticide pulses were followed by a recovery period of 28 days, which corresponded to approximately three generation times for D. magna. The one-species setup with the Daphnia populations and the two-species setup with both the Daphnia and Culex populations had a precontamination period of 30 days so that intra- and interspecific competitions were present prior to the insecticide pulse. Short-term effects on the survival of the Daphnia population were observed in both setups immediately after each insecticide pulse at the highest concentration level. In the one-species setup, the short-term effects on population survival were increased by intraspecific competition. However, the Daphnia populations in the one-species setup recovered and reached the control level within approximately two weeks after each insecticide pulse. In contrast, in the two-species setup at the highest concentration, we observed culmination of insecticide effects: the Daphnia populations did not recover and their abundance was below the control level until the end of the observation time. Their recovery was impeded by the presence of the competing species C. pipiens for at least four weeks. At low concentrations, no culmination of effects was observed. We conclude that repeated toxicant pulses on populations that are challenged with interspecific competition may result in a multigenerational culmination of toxicant effects.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ida Dolciotti
- Department of System Ecotoxicology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Kaarina Foit
- Department of System Ecotoxicology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Anna Herkelrath
- Department of Geography and Environmental Research, Leipzig University, Germany
| | - Matthias Liess
- Department of System Ecotoxicology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Liess M, Foit K, Becker A, Hassold E, Dolciotti I, Kattwinkel M, Duquesne S. Culmination of low-dose pesticide effects. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2013; 47:8862-8. [PMID: 23859631 PMCID: PMC3781603 DOI: 10.1021/es401346d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Pesticides applied in agriculture can affect the structure and function of nontarget populations at lower doses and for longer timespans than predicted by the current risk assessment frameworks. We identified a mechanism for this observation. The populations of an aquatic invertebrate (Culex pipiens) exposed over several generations to repeated pulses of low concentrations of the neonicotinoid insecticide (thiacloprid) continuously declined and did not recover in the presence of a less sensitive competing species (Daphnia magna). By contrast, in the absence of a competitor, insecticide effects on the more sensitive species were only observed at concentrations 1 order of magnitude higher, and the species recovered more rapidly after a contamination event. The underlying processes are experimentally identified and reconstructed using a simulation model. We conclude that repeated toxicant pulse of populations that are challenged with interspecific competition may result in a multigenerational culmination of low-dose effects.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Liess
- Department of System Ecotoxicology, UFZ - Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research , Permoserstrasse 15, D-04318 Leipzig, Germany.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
10
|
Foit K, Kaske O, Liess M. Competition increases toxicant sensitivity and delays the recovery of two interacting populations. AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2012; 106-107:25-31. [PMID: 22057252 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2011.09.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2011] [Revised: 09/16/2011] [Accepted: 09/20/2011] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
We investigated how persistent competitive pressure alters toxicant sensitivity and recovery from a pesticide pulse at community level. Interacting populations of Daphnia (Daphnia magna) and Culex larvae (Culex pipiens molestus) were pulse-exposed (48 h) to the pyrethroid fenvalerate. The abundance and biomass of the populations were monitored by non-invasive image analysis. Shortly after exposure, Daphnia showed a concentration-response relationship with the toxicant with an LC₅₀ of 0.9 μg/L. Culex larvae were slightly less sensitive with an LC₅₀ of 1.7 μg/L. For both species, toxicant sensitivity increased with the population biomass of the respective species before exposure, which is explained by intraspecific competition. Several weeks after exposure to the highest treatment concentration of 1 μg/L, the slight differences in sensitivity between the two species were amplified to contrasting long-term effects due to interspecific competition: high interspecific competition impaired the recovery of Daphnia. Subsequently, Culex larvae profited from the slow recovery of Daphnia and showed an increased success of emergence. We conclude that, in natural systems where competition is present, such competitive processes might prolong the recovery of the community structure. Hence, natural communities might be disturbed for a longer period by toxic exposure than predicted from single-species tests alone.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kaarina Foit
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Department of System Ecotoxicology, Permoserstrasse 15, D-04318 Leipzig, Germany.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|